Koinonia Fellowship

Father’s Day conjures up all kinds of thoughts and emotions, some good, some bad. I am sure that every father reading this devotional is aware of his own shortcomings. There are no perfect fathers on earth because there are no perfect descendants from Adam. The only perfect Father is Our Father Who art in heaven (Matthew 6:9)! Nevertheless, the very concept of fatherhood is a theological one that stems from the biblical revelation of the fatherhood of God.

Of course, we know that church attendance does not save us. But there is a casual and borderline “take it or leave it” mindset about The Lord’s Day that is begetting other compromises which are having devastating consequences on the impact of the church in this fallen world system. May God give us ears to hear His Spirit today.

May The Lord of glory, The Lord Jesus Christ open our hearts and minds to see our glorious Savior for Who He truly is.

Special Guest speaker

Paul uses the doctrine of the resurrection of the body to motivate the body of Christ to be steadfast, unmovable and abounding in the work of The Lord.

This morning’s study will focus on the nature of the resurrection of the body. There was a lot of confusion surrounding the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. There were those who were asking the question, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” Maybe that is a question that some of you have asked yourself.

Because there is the resurrection, life is more than just biological existence.

Today, we are going to journey through the book of Proverbs together and seek to paint a picture of what a virtuous woman looks like in an ungodly world. It is my personal conviction that, like Ruth, a virtuous woman will shine like the noonday sun in this ungodly world.

Romans 8:31-39

We can look beyond the trials and tribulations that come our way in this life because we know that one day we will clothed with a new body and will be with Him in glory forever!!

What is one way that the Gospel is changing you? Is there any area of your life where you have substituted a routine for your relationship with Jesus?

Get acquainted with Jesus. Listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Walk by faith, not by sight. Keep pure. Above all, be motivated by an intense love for Jesus because without that, your gift is worthless (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

The setting of our Lord’s Supper message for today is before the throne of God in heaven. The apostle John has been transported by The Spirit into heaven where he sees and writes about things that are simply glorious! He sees the resurrected, glorified, and ascended Jesus in heaven. He sees Him as both as a conquering Lion and a slain Lamb. Jesus has prevailed to open that seven-sealed book. Scripture records that He is full of the power and wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:20).

Today is the day when God will touch men’s hearts and give them new life by grace, through faith in the truth of Jesus Christ’s death, burial, resurrection and ascension into heaven. Jesus bids sinners to come to Him and find rest for their souls. “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let himtake the water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17)

Paul’s teaching to the Corinthians challenges us in a relevant way today. How eager are we to have spiritual gifts and use them? The implication is that our gifts are not static. It isn’t as if the spiritual gifts we receive when we’re first converted are the only gifts we’ll ever have. The text invites us to consider prayerfully asking God to endow us with spiritual gifts. With faith and a desire to build up the church, we must seek God and trust Him to use us in the body of Christ as His servants.

My prayer is that The Lord Jesus would ignite a sense of urgency within each one of us regarding our need for prayer and the need to be ready for His return like the 10 virgins (Matthew 25:1-13).

In an age when people define themselves by their wealth and possessions, Jesus' words are hard to hear. Self-denial simply is not a popular message in our super-size, Big Gulp culture. In following Jesus, we begin by letting go of all those things that place a prior hold on our affections. Relationships, possessions, privilege, position, and ease give way to God's call.

When we choose to love, we become a tool in God’s hands to transform the lives of those around us. Start doing the selfless things, the persistent things, the hopeful things, the enduring things—and you will be practicing the love that never fails.

The section of Scripture is one of the most amazing description of the Church. We are the body of Christ. Paul likens those who have been born into the body of Christ to the human body. The human body is an amazing work of God our Creator. In our human body, there are many members. Some members are visible to the human eye and some are not visible. Some appear to be more necessary and some appear to be unnecessary. But by God’s creative design, every part of the human body is necessary. Likewise, by The Spirit’s re-creative power, every part of the body of Christ is necessary.

This morning we will take a peek at the gifts of The Spirit in the body of Christ. The Corinthian church was a congregation that presented a lot of problems and challenges to the apostle Paul. In this chapter, as well as in chapter 14, Paul writes to correct errors of disorder and incorrect understanding of the purpose of these gifts. Lord willing, we will see these gifts in a fresh light, and with a deeper appreciation for not just the gifts themselves, but for The One Who has given us these gifts to build up the body, and bring glory to His holy Name.

The Lord’s Supper is the time when the church is to remember the sacrifice that Jesus paid for our sin. No words could ever possibly describe the agony and suffering that Jesus experienced from the Garden of Gethsemane to the cross on Calvary. This plan of God to save sinners was not an afterthought.

The miracles of Jesus, Lord of all!

The church consists of individuals who have been plucked out of the fallen world system to belong to Jesus Christ. Though there may be earthly distinctions that are based upon one’s vocation, education or income, in the sight of Jesus Christ we are all equal and valuable in His presence.

As we work our way through these passages this morning, we will see how important it is for us to know and embrace God-ordained order in the church and in our homes as it is laid out before us in Scripture.

This morning we conclude the section of Corinthians that deals with<br /> the subject of “Christian liberty” and the eating of meat that has<br /> been offered up to idols. While the subject of eating meat offered<br /> unto idols is not an issue in our culture, the biblical principles of<br /> dealing with involvement in “questionable things” are timeless and<br /> as necessary today as ever.

The apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 10 that God was not pleased with the behavior of the Israelites. Paul cautions in verse 21, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.” Everything we own is a gift from God. Without Him, we have nothing! But we need to remember that when we put the gifts above the gift-giver, God, we have made our possessions an idol.

Luke 2: 1-14

Today we begin the year 2016 by observing The Lord’s Supper. We begin this New Year by remembering the perfect sacrifice that Jesus Christ paid for the forgiveness of our sin and the salvation of our souls. In today’s text from Zechariah 3:1-5, in a typical courtroom setting, Satan, identified as the accuser of the brethren in Revelation 12:10, is seen accusing Joshua the high priest before God, only to be rebuked by The Lord Himself.

This is a picture of the road to Christ Jesus. It is no roundabout road of the law; it is no obeying this, that, and the other; it is a straight road: “Believe, and live.” It is a road so hard, that no self-righteous man can ever tread it, but so easy, that every sinner, who knows himself to be a sinner may by it find his way to heaven.